The Gates of Night: The Dreaming Dark - Book 3 (32 page)

“You are mistaken, Lady Lei. My mistress fed you knowledge as well as food. Thanks to the waters of Dusk, you will understand all languages, and all who hear you speak will know the meaning of your words. The effect will fade, but it should suffice for the task you must accomplish—here and in Dal Quor. Now follow me.”

Xu’sasar considered the Queen of Dusk. She disliked Kin, all the more now that she had seen his true face. This Thelania … it was obvious that she was one of the great spirits, and she had been most generous in her gifts. Yet she too concealed her nature behind an elven face. Vulkoor was the great scorpion, the deadly hunter who strikes unseen. What primal nature was Thelania hiding?

They rode across a vast plain. Xu’sasar was born in rolling jungle, and this flatland was strange to her eyes, so empty, lacking even the hills or tors of the Huntsman’s realm in Thelanis. The fields were filled with tall grasses, and rodents and insects scattered as the fey horses pounded across the plains.

Daine rode next to Lei, and the two spoke quietly. Though Xu’sasar was still learning the customs of the outlanders, she could see that they did not wish her company, so she stayed close to Kin, keeping an eye on the changeling and the shadowy landscape.

“What’s that?” she said, pointing to the west. She could see a slight break in the silhouette of the grasslands, a sharp edge rising above the swaying plants.

“Ruins, I should think,” Kin replied. “This land has a long history of war, and when the current overlords took power, they razed the old cities and built anew. There are ruins scattered across Sarlona, usually far from any current village.”

This thought brought some small comfort to Xu’sasar. Xen’drik was a land of ruins, and the Qaltiar used these remnants of giant civilization as shelter, moving from one shattered city to the next. Surely these ruins differed greatly from what she was used to. Nonetheless, it was comforting to know that there was shelter in the wilds, if they should need it.

“There’s our destination,” Kin said, halting and pointing. A black teardrop was silhouetted against the stars, rising up against the horizon. There were no lights, no signs of activity. “From this point on, we must act with care.”

“You don’t think your disguise will hold up, then?” Daine said.

“Please, Master Daine,” Kin replied, “my abilities are not a concern. They would not suspect me. But the Riedrans fear foreigners, and the mere sight of strangers will likely cause alarm.”

“Then I suppose I’m in her majesty’s debt.” Daine sighed and pulled the glamerweave cloak out of his pack. The shifting black patterns made it all but invisible in the shadows of night. “Lei, can you make a temporary cloak of invisibility?”

Lei nodded. “It’ll take a little time, but it’s simple enough.”

“Pierce, Xu, I want you to scout ahead. We need to know what we’re up against.”

Lei looked troubled, and she hesitated slightly before she spoke. “There’s something else. I’m not sure if it will work, but …”

“Yes?” Daine said.

Lei closed her eyes, a look of deep concentration settling over her features. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Pierce spoke.

“I hear you, my lady.”

“What are you talking about?” Daine said

Lei opened her eyes. “It’s the bond that let me heal and hurt him before. I can touch Pierce at a distance. I thought we might be able to communicate through it, and it seems that we can.” She looked at Pierce. “Here, try to respond without speaking.” She closed her eyes again, and after a moment she smiled. “Good.”

“I remember Lakashtai doing the same thing,” Daine said. “Can you bring the rest of us in?”

Lei shook her head. “No. This is just between Pierce and me.”

“Still,” Daine said, “it’ll help for coordinating actions. Pierce, Xu, move out. See what you can see,
and wait for word from Lei.” He looked at Xu’sasar. “Is that understood?”

“Yes,” she said. She felt the slightest hint of shame because Daine thought this necessary. This was a situation of great import, and she knew just how critical it was for their pack to work as one. She would prove her worth in time.

It was a pleasure to dismount from the horse and to feel the soil beneath her feet once more. “Take lead,” she said to Pierce. “I will follow.”

She drew on the shadows in her blood, winding herself in the comforting dark. She held the Tooth of the Wanderer, still in the shape of the bone wheel, and for the first time since they’d entered the realm of Dusk, she found herself at ease. The enemy was ahead of them. The hunt was on.

The giants of Xen’drik built with stone, and Xu’sasar never imagined that metal could be worked on so vast a scale. The monolith was a smooth steel ovoid, easily a hundred times her height. She saw no guards in their path, but they had traveled only a short distance when Pierce raised his hand. Xu’sasar had learned only a few of the signals the others used, but this one was easy enough.
Stop
.

Xu’sasar dropped into the grass. She called on the spirit of the scorpion, drawing on the stillness of the hidden hunter to conceal her from her enemies. None too soon, for a moment later the enemy was upon them.

There was no sign of movement on the plains, no hint of human activity. Yet in that moment, Xu’sasar felt a
presence
. They were being watched, of that she
had no doubt. As a child she had ventured into the City of Tears, although the teller of tales had warned her of the ghosts; she’d felt the same sense of presence in that place, a force of personality beyond mere flesh and blood. Xu’sasar held her breath, letting the spirit of the scorpion calm her fear and hold her in stillness, and a moment later the presence was gone.

Continue
, Pierce signaled.

While Xu’sasar did not understand all that the Dusk Queen had said, she gathered that Pierce had a bond with a lesser spirit that advised him on matters of magic. Most likely this guide could see the guardian that had passed them.

Motion!
There were openings set into the base of the great metal seed, wide arches filled with pale light. And as they moved forward, Xu’sasar saw the silhouette of a man pass across the portal. The figure was only caught in the light for an instant, but that was long enough.
Male. Long sword, sheathed. Chain mail, no shield seen but likely kept close
. She studied the other portals.
There
. An archer, barely visible, peering around the edge of a gate. Face hidden behind a black helm and silver veil.

Hold position
, Pierce signaled.
Watch
.

Regretfully, Xu’sasar settled into her crouch. She would have rather moved closer, to peer within the monolith, but she understood Pierce’s tactics. Someone should watch the archer, be ready to strike if the alarm was sounded or, if it became necessary, to flee and alert the others. And so she waited, watching the lights and envisioning the battle that lay ahead of her.

The archer didn’t move, but a new figure passed across an archway. She could see the shape of a greatsword slung across the back, a long bow held
ready for action, but what caught her attention was the sheer size of the creature. Xu’sasar was used to fighting giants, and she’d fought larger foes. Nonetheless, this warrior was about twice her height and many times her weight. His muscles spoke of fearsome strength. And even from this distance, she could see the short horns protruding from his forehead.
This is my foe
. No question in her mind. Let the others fight these human soldiers. Xu’sasar would bring down the giant.

Pierce returned. His voice was barely louder than the wind in the grass. “There is a woman within who watches the area with her mind. We must eliminate her the moment the battle begins, before she can bring other powers to bear.”

Xu’sasar clicked her tongue. A challenge!

“You possess the skill to approach unseen and the ability to resist the other forces that will be brought to bear. Daine wishes you to circle around, enter the monolith, and when battle is joined, ensure that this woman in purple is eliminated before she has the opportunity to act. Are you willing?”

“I have already gazed upon the fields of death,” Xu’sasar said. “I have no fear, and I will not fail. Just let me fight the giant when the woman falls.”

Pierce was silent. Xu’sasar imagined that he was relaying the message back to Lei.

“Very well,” he said. “A burst of fire will signal the attack. Strike swiftly and hard. We will arrive as soon as possible.”

Xu’sasar placed her palm against his, dark flesh dwarfed by the metal gauntlet. “We fight as one.”

She rose and moved into the night.

Three archers stood sentinel in the monolith, watching the plains for any signs of motion. However skilled they might be, they were only human, and no match for Xu’sasar. She was a scorpion wraith of the Qaltiar. Shadow was her shield, and the night her hunting ground. She drew the darkness to her and slipped toward her foes. Soon she stood at the base of the monolith itself, at the edge of one of the gates. Pale green light spilled out onto the ground. The light was unbroken by any motion, and Xu’sasar peered around the edge of the gate.

The monolith was a vast, hollow shell, a single chamber, and the only feature of note was a beam of light rising up from the ground. No, it was
crystal
, a glowing pillar hundreds of feet in height. Her horned giant, his bulk wrapped in chainmail and black leather, paced restlessly about the chamber. He was a strange creature, more bestial than the giants she was used to battling. His pale blue skin looked as tough as leather, and long black tusks protruded from his mouth.

Two soldiers slept on the floor, with swords set just within reach. A third warrior sat on the floor, oiling his blade.

Then Xu’sasar saw the woman in purple. Her eyes were closed, her legs crossed—and she was floating a few feet off the floor. The woman’s robe was silk hemmed with intricate silver patterns, and she wore a headdress made from violet glass, with sweeping horns curving up and around her head. Her skin was pale, her hair dark, and her features reminded Xu’sasar of the one who had accompanied Daine in the burning jungle—Lakashtai, the servant of demons.

Though there was little cover in the inner chamber,
the green light of the crystal core was faint, no stronger than moonlight. Calling on spirits of scorpion and shifting panther to hide her from her foe, Xu’sasar slipped within the monolith. The blue-skinned giant turned as she entered, but his gaze slid past her.

Xu’sasar raised the Tooth of the Wanderer. The bone wheel was not the weapon for close battle, and she considered her options. The twin knives were the weapon of her mother, the weapon passed down to her, yet using the Tooth in that form reminded her of the heirlooms she’d left behind, the memories she would never pass on. The single sword? The razor chain? The rod of venom? In the end, she decided on the long teeth, a polearm with a sharp blade on each end of the haft. As soon as the thought was clearly formed in her mind, the Tooth shifted in her hands, bone and leather stretching into the new shape. The balance was perfect, and though it had the appearance of bone, the weight of the weapon spoken of a stranger truth. Xu’sasar felt the thrill of battle rising within her. She held the tooth of one of the great spirits. What mortal creature could stand against such power? Now it was just a matter of waiting for the attack.
A burst of fire
, Pierce had said. She crept forward, moving to where she could see the plains, watching for signs.

There!
A flash in the night. Flame filled the monolith. This was no mere signal; it was a deadly fireball, a blinding burst of heat. The wall of flame boiled toward Xu’sasar, and she heard the first notes of the soldier’s screams.

You possess the ability to resist forces that will be brought to bear
, Pierce had said. Fortunately for Xu’sasar, he was correct. Night and darkness were bound to her blood, and this shadow had the strength to extinguish lesser
magics. The flames swept over her but melted before touching her. Even the air around her remained cool and breathable.